Porirua scrub fire
Fire crews continue to fight a scrub fire in the Porirua seaside area of Titahi Bay this morning (Friday) which began late on Thursday night and northerly winds pushed a veil of smoke from the blaze over Wellington’s northern suburbs. Smoke was also reported in the Hutt Valley and the Wellington coastal suburb of Miramar.
What you need to know:
- Fenz was alerted to the blaze at 11.04pm on Thursday, and the first crews arrived by about 11.10pm.
- About 7.15am Friday, Fire and Emergency NZ said eight crews were still working to bring the vegetation fire under control. Helicopters with monsoon buckets would also be working on Friday morning.
- The fire was burning over about 10ha in Whitireia Park, and people were asked to stay away from the area. No homes were at risk, Fenz said.
- Residents in Wellington’s northern suburbs woke to the sight of a red glow in the sky and the smell of smoke in the air.
- Commuters travelling into Wellington city from the north were also driving through heavy smoke over the motorway in the central Porirua area.
- Fenz said smoke was affecting a large part of Porirua, and the National Public Health Service had advised that people in an area where there was smoke should go inside, close the windows and doors and turn off air conditioning units. Anyone who had been exposed to the smoke and was feeling unwell should contact Healthline (0800 611 116) or ring their doctor for advice.
Beware of inhaling smoke:
People should avoid exposure to smoke if possible.
Smoke may irritate the eyes, nose, throat, and airways. Symptoms could include watery or sore eyes, dry or sore throat, sore nose, cough, tightness of the chest or difficulty breathing. In healthy people, most symptoms disappeared soon after exposure to smoke ended and did not cause long-term health problems. Smokers, the elderly, children, and those with heart disease, asthma or other lung disease were at the greatest risk of harm from smoke inhalation.
And the 2024 Prospa Local Business Hero is...
A huge congratulations to mother and son duo, Mary and Sam Danielson from The Puketapu Hotel.
The votes for all finalists have been tallied and they have been chosen by Neighbourly members across the country as the Prospa Local Business Hero of 2024.
The Puketapu Hotel was nominated by a local called Margaret and the nomination reads:
'On Feb 14, 2023, Cyclone Gabrielle flooded many of the rural areas. Puketapu Hotel went under perhaps half a meter of water. However, immediately Mary Danielson and her son, Sam Danielson, along with their loyal staff pulled it together to cook copious amounts of food that without electricity would have been wasted. Throughout the years many of us have been treated with a pub gathering where we can reconnect and a free meal. At Christmas there was Santa, games, gifts for kids, donated patchwork for adults, an ice cream truck and lots of camaraderie.
This February on the cyclone anniversary, they again pulled out the stops to give hundreds of us a special night. We are all tired of the cyclone cleanup and they understood that it was needed.'
Such a deserving business and team, well done Mary and Sam. And thank you to all those who voted!
Poll: What is the smallest size hearing device Triton Hearing offer?
Some kiwis think hearing devices are big and ugly.
What if we told you technology has advanced substantially and they’re available in all shapes, colours, and sizes?
Go in the draw to win* a $40 MTA voucher when you share your answer to the
question below. Give it a go!
*T&C’s apply – must be over 18.
-
88.3% a) The size of a pea
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4.5% b) The size of a AAA battery
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7.1% c) The size of a $2 coin
Petition against the Massive Rates Increase.
We have the support of over 1900 people on the Petition against the UHCC's proposed 20% rates rise for the next 3 years. This is a 73% increase in our rates which equates to $30-$50 per week for most.
This is disgusting, and when you compare it with $2200 just look and potentially not even fix a water leak. It seems like our rates are going down the drain. Yet the mayor has been directed by many retired plumbers to solutions but seems to come up with the same response, "Wellington Water wont last much longer" This has been the stock response for too long. We need Action!
We would love your support to show the Council that Upper Hutt is against these massive increases. From our research we cannot see in 3 years since the last LTP why the council are needing to do increases to this level.
You can sign the petition, leave a comment and like others comments here
www.change.org...
The petition is planned to be available until the 28th of May 2024. We will present the petition to the council, hopefully with as many signatures as we can get.
With 2 days till the extension on the Upper Hutt Council Long Term Plan submissions is up. If you want to submit you have Saturday and Sunday to make your submission on the future path of the city.
letskorero.upperhuttcity.com...
Through this process we have asked the council several questions relating to issues we have noticed and clarifications. The answers to these have not been very forthcoming. Below is a link to the questions and responses we have had with the council. Unfortunately after our last request for clarifications the council decided that they no longer wished to answer any questions and shut down the lines of communication (Stonewalled us):
Black = Our Initial Questions
Blue = Council Responses
Red = Our Last Responses
1drv.ms...
Have a read if you wish, see what you think.
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